Born in Galveston on January 10, 1868, Hally Ballinger Bryan Perry was the third child of Colonel Guy Morrison Bryan, nephew of Stephen F. Austin, and Laura Harrison (Jack) Bryan. Hally's father served as a member in both the House and Senate of Texas, as speaker of the Texas House of Representatives, and as a member of the Thirty-fifth Congress of the United States. After her mother's death, the Bryan family moved to the Oaks, the home of Harriet Patrick and William Pitt Ballinger, Hally's aunt and uncle. Hally Bryan attended the Hollins Institute in Virginia and then returned to Galveston at the age of seventeen.

In 1891, she founded the Daughters of the Republic of Texas with her cousin, Betty Ballinger. The DRT was established to save historical places and documents, to encourage historical research, to promote the celebration of Texas Independence on March 2, and to honor the memory of the people who fought to establish the Republic of Texas. Hally Ballinger Bryan served as secretary for an early executive committee in the DRT, but thereafter chose not to hold an office.

Hally Ballinger Bryan married Emmett Lee Perry, a half cousin, on November 3, 1909 and the couple moved to Bay City; they had no children. After the death of her husband in 1921, Hally moved to Houston, where she lived for 27 years. She traveled to Europe and Latin America, as well as throughout the United States; she organized the Pan American Round Table of Houston in 1940. Perry also served on the State Library Historical Commission and was a member of the Texas State Historical Association, the Delta Kappa Gamma Society, the American Association of University Women, the Texas Folklore Society, and the Philosophical Society of Texas. Perry moved to Alpine in 1948, where she served as a member of the board of directors of the Alpine Community Center and the Presbyterian Church. She founded the local chapter of the Daughters of the Republic of Texas in Alpine, which is named in her honor. After her father's death in 1901, Perry and her cousin, Judge Beauregard Bryan, became executors of the Stephen F. Austin papers, which they presented to the University of Texas at Austin. The university then established the Hally Bryan Perry Fund for historical research in 1954. Hally Ballinger Bryan Perry died in Alpine on June 27, 1955, and was buried in the State Cemetery at Austin.

Photographs and illustrations, printed materials, a scrapbook and newspaper clippings, and correspondence comprise the bulk of the collected materials related to the Austin-Bryan-Perry family. Of particular interest are 38 photographs and illustrations (1888-1936) that document Austin and Bryan family history, including images of Austin family gravesites, members of the Austin and Bryan families, Stephen F. Austin, and places associated with Austin and Bryan families. The collection contains three case photographs: Guy M. Bryan and Guy Case; Mr. and Mrs. Guy M. Bryan (Laura Harrison Jack); and President and Mrs. Rutherford B. Hayes (Lucy). A collection of calling cards, likely collected during the Congressional service of Guy M. Bryan (1857-1859), includes cards from Alexander H. Stephens, J. P. Benjamin, Jefferson Davis, and Stephen A. Douglas. Seven cachets document the centennial celebration of Texas statehood (1945-1946). Stephen F. Austin's 1835 memorandum book is also included in the collection. The family correspondence includes eight transcriptions of letters from Moses Austin Bryan to his parents, James and Emily Austin Bryan Perry and his brother, William Joel.

Restrictions on Access

None.

Terms Governing Use

Open for research by appointment.

Publication Rights

Copyright has not been assigned to the San Jacinto Museum of History. All requests for permission to publish or quote from manuscripts must be submitted in writing to the Library Director. Permission for publication is given on behalf of the San Jacinto Museum of History as the owner of the physical items and is not intended to include or imply permission of the copyright holder, which must also be obtained by the researcher.